Kismet’s Tale

      The lights of the city shaded them when the shadow. Mavin leaned on the railing while staring at the paved road. Natalya stood next to him with face looking up.

“How many are watching us?”

“Not much. They aren’t so brazen to watch us while we are aware. I didn’t think that you’d want the sphere. What do you want with it?”

“Look up at the sky,” he pointed out.

Natalya stared. “I can’t see anything worth seeing. There are cracks I think. But I always see them.”

“Did you remember where they started appearing?”

Natalya held her chin in wonder. “I don’t remember. Do you have any idea about that?”

“Perhaps, as much as I like to tell you. I can’t.”

“The artifacts you’re requesting might come.”

“Do you think they’ll agree?”

Natalya shrugged visibly. “There is a chance that they might stubbornly refuse until the end. These are the same fools who would rather wage a secret war against the nation rather than hand them over. Cecilia might look rather angry about, but believe me when I say that she’ll find a way to skirt around this. She’ll stall time.”

“She will. Sorry, that I had to talk like that.”

“It’s fine. War isn’t an easy issue and the folks back home might cause trouble. We can’t threaten them militarily, but we can threaten their supply line. Once call and I’d make sure that they’ll be willing to hand over the artifacts.”

“They probably could survive a year without starving. Not to mention that we might force them out. There is no rule that they can’t just escape the city and hide somewhere.”

“I know most of their hiding spots. There might have been changes in where they have been hiding. But if they abandon their people here then that would make them look bad. The problem with the old masters are that they are capable enough to make this a long endeavor for the two of us.”

“Killing them isn’t going to be an option.”

“True. Easier, but if we provoke them without merit then it’ll be easy to blame us. We have done nothing to them but ask kindly.”

“This could have been far easier if I could tell them.”

“Have you tried exploiting loopholes? That vow of silence?”

“It’s the same as yours, isn’t it?”

Natalya paused for a second before she nodded. “Yeah, it’s the same for my nightmares. I can tell some, but not the whole details. Hmm, it is an inconvenience.”

“You know it,” Mavin sighed and lowered his head. “If I can tell you then perhaps it would be far easier. No, I’m sure you can figure it out sooner or later.”

Natalya turned towards the cityscape. The corralled buildings made the city feel congested. Heat bounces off the floor and there was this strange smell that she couldn’t describe. Mavin opened his coat and leaned forward. Natalya choose to remain silent as they stared at the cityscape.

“The world’s getting similar in terms of efficiency. I only saw a few of buildings that I have thought would appear only here in Withamia. Then again, this is the capital of their city, so they are making it as efficient as they come.”

The basin-like structure of the city which this city was known for was being reinforced. On the side of the city, to which the two could see clearly with their superhuman-like eyes were the construction effort of the city. They were laying down concrete on the curving part of the basin with a canal on the bottom to catch the water. There was a serious issue about the earth rolling because of landslide, erosion, and the flooding needed to be taken care off.

“Must be quite something. Seeing the world change before your eyes in the years that have passed.”

“Indeed, cars were rarer back then. Now we can find them everywhere in the world. Distance seems to have become smaller and a plane ticket could take you to the other side of the world. Life has become easier to most of the world, but there are still wars and conflicts.”

“Of course there will be. Hah, that’s the only thing that doesn’t seem to change. People wanting their voices to be heard and the kinder people who will do anything to do good for others. I thought about it. How starting a conflict here and the cost of it. The cost might be the lives of others and the hatred of those who live on.”

“Husband, thinking about the individual is hard. You think of them as numbers and it’s far easier. Believe me. In the past years I’ve done worse. I won’t lie. But most of the time they are written and printed letters in a report written in a typewriter or a word processor that it doesn’t bother me.”

The wind blew. Her eyes became solemn at the thought of the past years. Mavin kept his eyes on the distant horizon.

“To make them individual hurts the soul. But to know them in reports and numbers feels nothing. You get used to it. That’s true, but it doesn’t stop feeling awful. I’ll support you here. Hell, it’s because I’m here that I will support you in this endeavor no matter what your plans are.”

“I appreciate that. I would also understand if you refuse to continue this. I’ll find my own way if I have to. I can make them hand over the artifacts if they refuse to do it diplomatically. If diplomacy doesn’t work, then we’ll try to convince them with wealth then if that still doesn’t work. I hope the HOUNDS can still move well.”

“They can move well. I bet that they are eager to move now that you’re commanding them again.”

“I hope they do. Stefanie will finish mapping up the region by the end of the afternoon.”

Mavin pointed a finger on the sky. The sunlight overlapped him wholly for a moment before the shadows came to wrap him again.

***

The two of them returned to the lodging provided by Cecilia. It was one of the hotels that towered over the city. When they arrived the employees of the hotel lined up and guided them into the well-decorated lobby of the hotel. The manager of the hotel took them to the penthouse. The two entered the penthouse and told the manager to leave. Mavin removed his coat and revealed shoulder holsters containing two pistols with at least three magazines strapped on him.

Natalya walked to the wine table on the side of the room and carried the wine to the lounge table. She sat across the table while flicking her finger, spreading sparks around the room like a radar. The hilt hanging on Mavin’s belt reacted violently at the presence of the sparks, but other than that there was no reaction around the penthouse.

“Nothing here, at least magically.”

Mavin walked around the room. He checked the corners and examined the areas below the table before sidling back to the lounge coach and taking a sip of the wine that Natalya prepared. “There might be some spying tech around here, so it’s best if we don’t do it here.”

“Well, I can hold on for a few days. I’ve been satisfied after holding back for years.”

“That’s good to hear then. The carrier should still be floating on the south of us. Stefanie should make a complete layout of the area.”

“She will. This will be really useful in acquiring intelligence. Although it isn’t enough to spy on the secrets of the countries. We are taking a picture from a bird’s point of view so it shouldn’t be too revealing that they’d demand us some of the footage.”

“You can reveal the data in the next years. It wouldn’t take long before they start launching their own satellites in space anyway. I’m surprise that the eye in the sky has quite the capabilities.”

“That reminds me. Will the location in Holmia be fine?”

“It’ll be fine,” Mavin said. “It’s not exactly the main control center of the satellite. Besides, Stefanie has the access keys so it shouldn’t matter.”

“If you say so. That reminds me. Do you wish for Holmia to be involved in these?”

“No. Holmia being distracted is good for us. Gaul should be roaming around city if we need him.”

“Are you sure that we should leave him alone?”

“She’ll be Stefanie’s reference point. He’s acting as a tourist so there should be no problem. I trust the kid so there is no chance he’ll somewhat fail us in this endeavor. Besides, it’s best if we have someone who made an observation of the streets since there might be gaps that we might miss.”

“If poor Cecilia hears us right now she’d be sweating.”

“I doubt it,” Mavin crossed his arms. He took a sip of the wine and placed it back on the table. “We talked big in the clock tower, but if there is one thing that I know about the Old Magi. They are not easy opponents. This is all precaution but I rather not underestimate our enemies when we can.”

“True. They are long-lived and crafty.”

Their advantage in making use of their sparks were dangerous. She rather not try to spar with individuals who like her who can have the capabilities of an artillery battalion on their own.